More birthday pix

See my musical stylings on the karaoke (notice how no one is watching me but giving each other looks of amused but tortured pain to their eardrums...I can't carry a tune to save my life but I love singing!)...my beautiful cake from Julie...the pajama parade...all my girls gathered 'round...and finally, being sung to, which always embarrasses me!

Movie Review: The Constant Gardener

Warning! I'll probably say some spoiler-y things here, so if you haven't seen it and want to, stop reading...however, if you have seen it, please post a comment so I can see what you thought of it...

This movie...think Erin Brockovich meets The Bourne Identity, but without the fleshed-out character of the protagonist in the former and the excitement of the latter. However, it does sport the whistle-blowing and globe-trotting elements of these movies.

The theme of this movie is girl vs. Big Evil Enemy (a mega-pharmaceutical company) that turns into boy vs. Big Evil Enemy when girl meets an untimely death in struggle against Big Evil Enemy. The story does not employ a chronological narrative; it skips back and forth among a handful of timelines, and while this is an obvious effort to build up tension, it totally falls flat in that you can predict the ending before the movie is half-over. So, without the element of surprise, the story becomes a mere drawn-out display of the complete destruction of a do-gooding family fighting against the powers that be.

Finally, I just don't get the title. Sure, Ralph Fiennes' character fiddles around in his greenhouse occasionally, but it seems to have very little to do with the story. I can't even grasp a metaphorical purpose for the title, other than the characters' struggle to "weed out" the nasty folks who comprise the Big Evil Enemy???

As far as performances go, I really like both Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz, and I think they did all they could with their scripts/storyline. And that's about the best thing I can say on that score. So...I definitely wouldn't spend time and money on this film, unless you really just want to be depressed for 2+ hours.

Crocking up

Do tell me, is there anything better on a dreary January day than knowing you have a delicious pot roast slow-cooking at home while you slog through your workday??? I think not! Here is a recipe that Dawn Hawkins gave me a couple of years ago (which I modified a tad per our preferences):

a black Angus chuck roast
5-7 baby red potatoes, depending on size
a small bag of baby carrots or 5-7 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
a packet of Lipton's onion soup mix

Rub salt and pepper onto the roast and place in crockpot; sprinkle half the packet of soup mix on top of roast. Wash potatoes and add to pot; wash, peel, and cut carrots and add to pot. Sprinkle remaining half of soup mix on top of veggies, then add 1 cup of water to the mix. (I will usually put a bit more water in, depending on how long we'll be gone during the day.) Cook on low setting for at least 8 hours; I usually cook for about 10 hours.
Dawn's recipe calls for 1 can cream of mushroom soup, which you would stir into the broth 1/2 hour before serving, but Adam and I like the meat and taters, straight up!
The aroma will fill your whole house and make you feel cozy and warm, and the meat is absolutely delicious. Happy crocking!

Goodwill-ing

I need cheap, disposable-if-need-be, sturdy and comfy clothes for my missions trip to Guatemala. Not only do they need to be breathable (and layerable) for the climate, but the women on our team will need to wear mostly skirts, which is a respect issue for the culture we'll be visiting. Apparently, most women in general wear long skirts and only the "unsavory" types wear anything shorter than the knees. So, faced with this need and armed with only a teeny-tiny budget, I went to a Goodwill store for the first time in a LONG time today over my lunch hour, and participating in the consignment store experience again after such a long absence provided some new observations that I'd like to share.

When consignment-store shopping:

• Never, ever get your hopes up. When rifling through hanger after hanger and you catch a glimpse of a brand-name tag, odds are 102% against you that this brand-name item will be in your size. Do not allow heart to beat faster when catching said glimpse.
• Ignore fellow shoppers and Goodwill staff whenever possible. This may sound snobby, but this is good advice. Sure, you'll encounter the harmless but annoying Goodwill employee who is feeling free to sing really quite loudly, right at you, but this isn't what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the sketchy guy who watched as I went into the changing room, then OPENLY STARED at me when I came out to catch a peek of my duds in the mirror. Didn't make eye contact, didn't want to. Shudder.
• Do allow yourself to be taken off-guard by the item you're NOT looking for, and then allow yourself to purchase said item. Yes, you need lightweight, long cotton skirts, but when you see the Liz Claiborne tweed knee-length skirt for $5.00, it's okay to put it in the cart and walk out the door with it. After paying of course.
• If you're not sure about an item and need to think on it, go ahead and buy it. You can return it in 7 days, no questions asked, and even if you forget, you're not going to sweat the $1.50 out of your pocket. That's half a Starbucks, and Lord knows I don't sweat Starbucks.

I'm headed back to the Greenwood Goodwill tonight (perused the Castleton Goodwill at lunch), so I'm sure this isn't the end of my Goodwill-ing adventures.

To be continued...

The '80s are calling, they want their show back

Okay, so I have the theme to "Dallas" as my cellphone ringtone, and my coworkers get a good laugh every time it rings (and I will admit, it's an obnoxious ringtone to have blaring at you out of the sheer silence of my office). And without fail, I'll hear the above comment, but frankly, there ain't nothin' better than watching Dallas to get a good fix of soap opera drama at its superficial best. So, here's a shout out to my favorite show from that decade, celebrating the release of its 4th season on DVD tomorrow (someone please hint broadly to my husband). Remember the 4th season opener is the conclusion to the season finale that brought the world to a halt: Who shot JR? Can hardly wait!!!

This blog is providing the perfect excuse...

to go back through the Becky files and pull out older pictures and post them with pride, and I can't remember a day I was more proud than on my little sister's wedding day, October 2, 2004. I had the privilege of "dolling up" the bride, so I had a wonderful 2 hours alone with her, prepping her for her big day and enjoying some sisterly solitude before the festivities began...

Katie on her "wedding eve," at the rehearsal with my mom

the blushing bride on her wedding morning... the "before"

...and the "after," looking her most "princess" self with her daddy and mommy

and can't forget to show the bride with her groom, Christopher

and of course, me, trying to look serious for a minute after having discussed the finer points of supportive undergarments with several of the female wedding guests!

and finally, the bride and groom ready to ride off into the sunset (and they haven't yet lost that newlywed glow that's all over their faces in this picture -- how cute are they?!?).

What I'm reading...


Experience has taught me to not hold out too much hope of a great read from a Christian novel (and I mean no offense by this, it's simply my experience), but I was pleasantly surprised, nay, SHOCKED by how good this book is. Well-researched, well-plotted make for a good read, but the characters in this book make for a GREAT read. Uplifting and touching. Love it, recommend it.

The Birthday Bash

Finally, some of the pix from the big 29th bash are beginning to roll in! Here's the first wave.
















Pretty in pink jammies are from left, Melissa, Julie, Kristen, and Katie















The soup kitchen: the girls forage for the yummy meal that everyone helped me prepare -- corn chowder, chicken noodle soup, French bread, strawberry poppyseed salad, a relish tray, and so much junk food I don't want to think about it!















Speaking of the food....mmmmmmmmmmmm
















Christa (left) and Kate enjoy the birthday feast (how corny are these captions?)

UPDATE: The poor whale didn't make it...
Despite a noble rescue attempt by the British people to take this whale back out to sea, the poor thing just expired from so much trauma. The scientists think that the whale was old and sick or injured, and as whales often do when nearing death, he was simply trying to beach himself. Although I'm sad he didn't make it, I still have to applaud his choice in final resting place. God bless 'im.
A whale after my own heart


Gotta love this picture. From a story today on MSNBC.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10940878/)

Silly reporters saying that the whale is lost; I think it's found! I know that I also have been implanted with the homing beacon that drives me to London!

It's for sure!

Yesterday I was given the green light by my boss to take a week off in March...to go to Guatemala! I am going with Adam and a team from our church, Southside Bible, to our sister church in Guatemala on a missions trip March 15 to 22. We're still working out our agenda, but I believe, as of right now, that we'll be doing the following:

• putting on a vacation Bible school of sorts for the kids, with puppet shows and skits and lots of fun things like that
• ministering to the teachers of the Christian school associated with our sister church by getting some one-on-one time with them, to encourage them in their noble work
• helping Pastor Mario and wife Maria do whatever needs doin' at church and in their ministries!

I've put lots of prayer into this, and my prayer has simply been this, that if God wanted me to go on this trip, that He'd open doors and prepare the way, and He has done that...and then some. Things just keep working out, and I keep feeling the nudge of the Holy Spirit in stronger and stronger ways. I know that God has a work to do in my heart on this trip, and even though I don't know exactly what that is, I have a feeling that part of it is to simply open my eyes to another world out there that I've been blissfully blinded from in my cushy Greenwood, Indiana, USA existence. A world of poverty, of danger at every corner, a world of struggle and weariness -- and getting to know the people who find joy in the Lord despite all of these things.

So even though I'm NOT looking forward to leaving the luxuries of life that I shamelessly enjoy, I know this will be so so so good for me. Pray for me that God strips away the spoiled-ness of my life for this one week and in so doing, that I can be poured out in service to others.

This is me and my husband, Adam, as we appeared on our Christmas greeting for 2005. Picture taken by my brother-in-law, Garrett, in a random field in Greenwood. (Yes, Greenwood still has some random fields...)